These 7 steps will open your mind to the exciting possibilities oft the powerful new communication tools such as Digital Signage,

that are beginning to revolutionize marketing thinking and practice in the future. For that, the Marketing Management Process urges you to analyze seemingly administrative tasks and ideas, such as Digital Signage, which are often neglected by the day-to-day business. Marketing can only work successfully if the company is and remains alive. Growth and existence depend upon many factors. They pertain not only to the need for continuing existence, but also to the ability to deal with new and ever-changing environments. After all, survival depends on the degree of flexibility and the ability to adjust to the market. The presented Idea of the Marketing Management Process is a model which will help you to make decisions also in the area of Digital Signage. A model is not a restrictive, rigid mold but serves to visualize complicated schemes. The model should not and cannot control your every action in marketing. It is not a recipe with exact ingredients and a guaranteed outcome. The Marketing Management Process is designed to separate significant from insignificant topics and relevant from irrelevant ones. The problem nowadays is not the lack of information per se; but its effective reduction. Models such as the Marketing Management Process reduce the complexity.

Use it as a “central theme” to proceed systematically and achieve prompt results in seven steps.

1. analysis
2. corporate strategy
3. marketing strategy
4. marketing design
5. operative implementation
6. controlling
7. optimization/adaptation

The diagram depicts the Marketing Management Process with its relevant steps, from analysis to strategy development and from marketing design to controlling and optimization. The Marketing Management Process is universally applicable and can be used also for the implementation for Digital Signage in your Communication-Mix.

Step 1: Analyze Influencing Factors

Compiling a marketing concept starts with the analysis of the relevant factors. Relevant means that only aspects are analyzed which actually influence your project. In this case, macro and micro environment are separate entities. The macro environment describes so-called external factors (society, culture, government, law, politics, economy, technology, ecology); the micro environment describes internal factors (market, needs of existing and future customers, competition and conditions within a company). Tip Please take this analysis phase very seriously. It is the foundation for your entire strategic planning.

Step 2: Review the Corporate Strategy

As a next step you will evaluate your current situation and determine if your company is still on course or if you need to take countermeasures. These action alternatives are called strategic options or strategy alternatives. This means that you think about the future goals you can and want to achieve. Strategic planning will help you determine your company’s current and future success potential. Ultimately, you will select a strategy that optimally suits your company. This corporate strategy must be put into writing and then translated into your functional areas, such as personnel, purchasing, production, research and development, and marketing.

Step 3: Determine the Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy assumes the important role of placing your predefined corporate strategy into the market. This will help you align your functional area “marketing”, your marketing goals and strategy accordingly and increase your company’s power of impact. You will define your marketing goals, segment your market, determine your target groups, and establish your company’s positioning.

Step 4: Marketing Design

In a next step, the concrete, operative implementation of your project such as Digital Signage will exploit the existing success potential and transform it into profit and marginal income. During this phase you will control the so-called marketing mix, which consists of the following parts:

1. product policy
2. pricing policy
3. distribution policy
4. promotion policy

Subsequently, you will issue a concrete action plan, considering time, budget and responsibilities.

Step 5: Implement the Marketing Design

In this step you will start to implement your concepts. According to your selected marketing mix, you will put the aforementioned sub-areas product, pricing, distribution, and promotion policies into practice. Depending on the concept, you will have focused on different priorities during the design phase. Once you have decided on a certain position, the implementation should begin. This means, for example, that certain adaptations are to be made regarding product policy, extending the range of services, and tightening the product line. Pricing can be modified to offer products with more attractive prices. The Internet can be used as a new distribution channel. A promotion may be launched to increase sales figures over the next three months. These plans need to be put into action.

Step 6: Controlling

As the Marketing Management Process is a comprehensive and ongoing process it does not end at this point. After the concepts have been realized, ongoing reviews and controls are necessary to determine the actual success of the project. The marketing management process cycle may have to be repeated. The term “controlling” should not be misconstrued as bureaucratic supervision or an annoying task, but rather as a control instrument allowing continuous learning and therefore specific optimization in the future.

Step 7: Optimization

After reviewing your actions, you will notice where your implemented activities have caused unexpected problems and resistance. At this point, the Marketing Management Process should be repeated and you should consider which specific original data needs to be analyzed. If, for example, your review has shown that the expected result (response) of an advertising means was not reached, the process should be reviewed to determine if the expected goals were realistic or if the advertising can be improved upon. It becomes obvious that the Marketing Management Process, as a comprehensive approach, is a very dynamic process which will support your learning processes constantly and provide valuable services as a sort of “central theme”. Being in charge of marketing and sales, these instruments will not only help you to better calculate risks and increase your flexibility, but also to save time and avoid frustration. You can easily enter your personal information into the tried and trusted Excel applications. Then simply start the calculation and enjoy substantial information for making decisions. Note Please note that this systematic and structured approach will not automatically guarantee market success, as people and their behavioral patterns are not one hundred percent predictable. Ultimately, you will personally need to decide the direction your company is to take. Studies have shown, however, that companies with strategic planning have long-term success.